My POP-UP SHOP will be open again next weekend and my theme for April is "Global Home". With Earth Day being in April I thought focusing on more organic, natural, earthy decor would be fun. Choosing second-hand, upcycled, refurbished finds is such a good way to help our planet.  My thrifting word I have been keeping in my mind is "GLOBAL" and I have curated some lovely neutral items recently. Keep reading for all of the details on some of these goodies! These wood candlesticks are HEFTY and have a great light wood patina. The greyish/brown thin wool blanket underneath has a nice, nub ..read more

Sometimes when I thrift items, I do not know what I am going to do with them, I just know they have potential. Such was the case when I recently purchased this mail cubby or paper sorter. I knew it had great storage options, I just was unsure of how I wanted to upcycle it.  I removed the paper labels (I wondered if it came from the school I taught at here in town, it seemed familiar) and wiped it down with vinegar. I knew I would need to spray paint it to get inside the cubbies. I spray painted it green to start but it was too green and reminded and just not right. So I switched to a Na ..read more

A sweet sewing machine stool found its way home with me from the thrift store. The wood on her was pretty, but the turquoise tweed was a bit dated and dirty and didn't match the stools style, so I gave it a makeover. I started by removing the turquoise fabric, using a hammer to pull out the upholstery nails.  I tried a few different fabric pieces on the stool and decided on the same duvet cover fabric that I recovered the chair in that I shared in the previous post. I used the old fabric as the pattern and placed it in a spot on the fabric that I wanted featured, the blue flowers ..read more

I was happy to find this $5, wood bookshelf at the Habitat Restore. Even though it is dated, it is solid and I knew I could give it a quick makeover. Some paint, stain and a few new additions, and it has a fresh and updated look.  Keep reading to see how I completed this quick makeover. I removed the flimsy back and gave the piece a light, hand sanding and then painted it a color I mixed up, a muted peacock green. I thought there was only one shelf, but when I removed the shelves, I realized there were two sandwiched together. I sanded the shelves. I stained the shelves and some t ..read more

I believe we should love our home spaces and make them personal and unique to us and I KNOW to do that, patience is necessary. So, when I bought this vintage chair two months ago, I took some time to find the right fabric to recover it. Waiting to find the perfect fabric for our home was worth the wait as I love the chair makeover. Keep reading to see how I recovered this piece. I could see the chair had great bones and with a thrift store price of $20, I knew it was coming home with me even though it needed recovering. It had a very brittle tag on the bottom of it.  From the tag I ..read more

When it comes to planting flowers for outside, I am all about thinking outside of the box or the clay pot, if you will. I love repurposing items to create fun and unique planters for brightly colored annuals and herbs. Here are a few ideas that will all be for sale at my POP-UP SHOP this weekend. I made these five wood planters from pallet wood and cedar fence boards. I made them the perfect size to fit a plastic show box or container in them to plant in. I decided to paint each one a different color. This thrifted, weathered, push style, Radio Flyer didn't have a bottom on it. I added ced ..read more

One thing leads to another so when we cleaned up our shelves in the sunroom to start vegetable seeds, I re-discovered the peonies I had cut and dried last summer. These were the last of my 2023 prolific peony blooms and I decided to try and preserve them by hanging them upside down. They dry lovely, but are quite fragile. I will use them for a month or so and then they will go into the compost bin.  I decided to make a spring display for the sunroom coffee table with the dried peonies. The peonies add a hint of a soft pink color, perfect for spring.  I put three of the peonies i ..read more

I have to admit, we don't sit at the dining table nightly for dinner. We are empty nesters and often sit wherever to eat--the counter, the couch, the table, the library. But, I do love setting a pretty table for a holiday meal, when family and friends will join us. I decided to give my Easter tablescape a trial run, complete with some staged food. I decided I wanted a bright, cheery tablescape for Easter this year, rather than the softer pinks and greens I set the table with last year. So, I went thrifting for a brighter tablecloth, napkins, and supplementary dishes. I plan on using my vintag ..read more

I have a confession--I am thrifty (i.e. cheap). So, while I save loads of money by thrifting, I am always looking for a way to make that thrifting dollar go a little further. When I spied a $7 large, sturdy basket full of faux greenery and at least 6 floral foam blocks I knew it was a good deal and that I could "part it out" to create several centerpieces. On the same day I also bought two fake tulip bouquets in heavy cardboard containers. The tulips are silk and not what I consider good faux flowers, but I knew they would be perfect on my front breezeway porch area that is uncovered and get ..read more

I have said it before, but I will say it again--when thrifting, have a few key words in your mind and you WILL better see and find those items. This week I have been thinking FLOWERS and just look at these floral finds from the past few days! From the floral fabric piece that I thrifted for $1 (and that I will use to recover something or make pillows) to the vintage, amateur floral paintings, I have been sourcing all the flowers this week.  I met a gal who was an amazing picker when we lived in Idaho for a year. She told me she manifests her picks by saying aloud what she wants to find ..read more